


we were alien to all outsiders, we had no desire to talk to strangers

by orphan_account



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: Archie as Beatrice, Archie is a FUCKING BIRD, Cheryl as the Woodsmen, Gen, Getting Lost, He could murder me and I'd say thanks, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jellybean as Greg, Jughead as Wirt, Mentions of Josie as the Forest Enchantress, Sad Cheryl, Sibling Bonding, The Unknown, The beast - Freeform, Vegas makes an apprearance, i love Jughead so much, over the garden wall au, vaguely angsty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-31
Updated: 2017-03-31
Packaged: 2018-10-13 06:18:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10508016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: “Town?” He tuts. “They can’t help you. I think you guys are looking for the Enchantress of the Unknown. She can transport you home with the click of her fingers.”Jellybean’s eyes sparkle. “Really?”“Enchantress?” Jughead asks, suspiciously. Considering everything, he has no doubt the bird might be scamming them.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Idek what this is, guys. It ay just be something to tide me over until I can watch 1x08 (I LIVE IN AUSTRALIA AND HAVE TO WAIT FOR IT TO COME ON NETFLIX GOD D A M M I T)
> 
> Title from "Chameleon" by Elton John

_ Have you heard the story of the Beast? You haven’t? Well, then! Wake up! _

_ Wake up! _

“Wake up!”

Jughead jerks, opening his eyes and blinking blearily at the darkness. The woods are quiet - but in that noisy way, with crickets and owls and wolves breaking the silence every so often.

“I thought you’d fallen asleep.” Jughead looks down at his little sister, dressed up so sweetly in her green skirt (the nice ones, with the suspenders) and white blouse.

“I didn’t,” he replies and she blinks up at him. He squints at the wood - there is a road, but it’s not one he recognises. “I was just resting.”

“Oh,” Jellybean states, “okay.”

Jughead squeezes his eyes shut, curls his finger into the gnarled bark of the tree he’s leaning against, and clicks his heels together, grinding dirt into the soles.

_ There’s no place like home,  _ he thinks calmly, though his thoughts are running wild,  _ there’s no place like home, there’s no place like home. _

If he’s Dorothy, what does that make Jellybean?

Toto, Jughead thinks and opens his eyes.

Still in the forest, Jellybean still looking up at him with her wide green eyes.

“D’you think we’re lost?” He asks her. She blinks.

“Not lost,” Jellybean responds, matter-of-factly, “Just sidetracked.”

“Oh, you’re a great help,” Jughead huffs and pushes off the tree. The road is dark, but it’s not particularly light anywhere else. He picks up a stick. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to walk. All  _ Hansel and Gretel _ style.”

“I can leave a trail of candy from my pants.” Jellybean tells him and he turns as she shells out a bunch of mini Snicker bars onto the road.

Jughead opens his mouth to say something, and then closes it. “Okay, you know what? You do you.”

They slowly make their way up the road -  _ “Candy trail, candy trail, can-dy trail.”  _ \- until they find a clearing by a stream. There’s someone collecting wood by the edge of the clearing, someone with a lantern, and a black, black hooded cape, and red hair-

“Who’s there?” The figure turns, holding the lantern aloft, and Jughead winces in the sudden light, unable to look past the light and see the person under the hood.

“Um, hi, I’m Jughead, and this is Jellybean, my sister-” He begins.

“What are you children doing, wandering about after dark, in the woods?” The person interrupts, stepping closer towards them. “You should be at home, in your beds. So exposed out here, you’re practically offering yourselves up as bait to the Beast.”

Jughead’s ears start to ring and he gets dizzy. Jellybean grabs his arm and steadies him. The lantern is lowered, and the redheaded woman under the hood looks at them, worriedly. Her lips are dark red, her skin pale.

“Who are you?” He whispers.

The woman licks her lips, glances around quickly and offers her hand. “You’re not safe out here, come with me.”

Jellybean reaches out her hand to the woman - barely a woman, Jughead registers, hardly any older than he himself - and Jughead tugs her back towards him. “We don’t know her!” He hisses to his little sister. “We’re no safer with her than we are out here!”

“If you are so intent on being taken by the Beast, be my guest and stay out here, but if not, I suggest you hurry.” The woman interrupts, harrumphs over to her pile of twigs and sticks, and holds up her lantern. “Your choice.”

Jellybean purses her lips, looks up at Jughead and he sighs. “Fine. But just until it’s light.” He tells the woman as they begin to make their way out of the clearing, following the stream.

“And then where will you go?” She questions.

“Home.” He’s curt and blunt and it obviously irks her. He takes Jellybean’s hand, even as she shells more Snicker bars out of her pockets.

“Which is?” She looks almost amused at him, lips curling.

“Somewhere.” Jughead replies and she snorts.

The woman rolls her eyes. “How detailed.”

“Who are you?” Jughead asks in lieu of the noisy silence of the wood.

“My name is Cheryl.” She says, glancing, almost tiredly at the woods to their right. “And you?”

“Jughead.” He tells her, listens to her snort again.

“What a strange name.” Cheryl comments.

“It’s self-given.” Then Jughead has to pause. He looks back at Jellybean -  _ “Candy trail, candy trail, can-dy trail.”  _ \- and frowns. “What’s ‘the Beast’?”

Cheryl appears to shudder (all over her body) causing the light from the lantern to shiver with her. “A monster.” She says, and it’s almost like Summer Camp. “He wanders the forest, preying on the lost, feeding on their hopelessness. And when they give up - he strikes!”

Jellybean screams and both teenagers whip around to find her petting a dog in delight.

Jughead groans and pulls her away. “Jellybean, c’mon.” She smiles up at him.

“But Juggy, he’s cute!” Jellybean protests.

“You’re allergic to dogs!” Jughead points out and she rolls her eyes.

“Juggy…”

“C’mon. Cheryl’s letting us stay until it’s light.” Jellybean waves at the redhead and Cheryl waves back, with a disdainful look on her face.

“Where even are we?” Jellybean questions, dropping another Snickers bar from her pocket - Jesus, where are they coming from? - and walks up beside Cheryl.

“The folks ‘round here call it ‘the Unknown’, which isn’t surprising, as most don’t dare to enter the Unknown itself.” Cheryl informs Jellybean.

“Then why are you out here?” Cheryl shudders again, smaller this time.

“Everyone has a torch to burn, and I’m afraid this is mine.” She turns, abruptly, into the forest, and as they move, warily, to follow her, they find themselves standing in front of a mill. Cheryl unlocks the door and beckons them forward. “I must keep the lantern lit. It’s my purpose.”

Jughead looks to Jellybean, but she doesn’t look nearly as fussed as he feels at this new information. They follow Cheryl into the house, to find her, cape shed, starting a fire in the fireplace.

“Why do you have to keep the lantern lit?” Jellybean inquires, seating herself on a nice couch, near to Cheryl.

Cheryl shakes her head as she brings the fire to life, putting the grate up and dusting off the front of her rustic, old-timey dress. “That’s not something you should fuss over. Rest, if you can. I can escort you to the next town, tomorrow morning.”

She leaves the room quickly, bundle of sticks, cape, and lantern taken with her.

“Well,” Jughead begins. “She was strange.”

“Shush!” Jellybean hisses from her place, laid down on the couch. “I’m trying to sleep.”

“Oh.” He seats himself down in front of the couch, near to the fire, rests his head on the couch cushions.

“Are we gonna go with her, tomorrow morning?” Jellybean whispers.

“No,” he whispers back. “We’re gonna leave early tomorrow, and find our way home by ourselves.”

“Oh.”

~

It’s still dark when Jughead wakes Jellybean and they leave the house, but he can see sunrise on the horizon.

He doesn’t notice Cheryl watching them walk away from her bedroom window.

~

She exits the house, quickly, but not quick enough to catch them.

“New victims, I suppose?” Cheryl asks the early morning air and feels it shift by her shoulders. The Beast peers down at her with his jarring white eyes.

“You think too lowly of me,” he responds.

“And you must think me an idiot if you think I don’t know you’ll steal those boys the way you did my brother.” Cheryl snaps back, and the Beast spins in the last of the darkness. This is the only time she truly speaks to him. In the late night, he is far too powerful.

He laughs, deep and disgusting, and Cheryl knows he’s laughing at her. “You are the only reason your brother is still alive, if I were you, I’d shut my mouth and keep the lantern burning.”

“Remember,” calls the Beast as the sun splits over the trees in the distance, “if you let it go out, he will die.”

Cheryl shivers in the autumn air, and then turns, walking back into her house.

~

“I’m out of Snickers.” The statement surprises him, as Jellybean hasn’t said a word for about three hours now. Jughead turns and looks out at the road where Snickers bars are laid out in a line, almost a meter between each.

He sighs a little. “Well, if people do come looking for us, at least they’ll know we made it this far.” He states. “C’mon, town can’t be too far.”

“Are you lost?” Jughead and Jellybean both jump a little at the new voice.

They look around for the source, but the only other thing in the vicinity is a robin, and there’s no way a robin-

“Yoo-hoo, you guys lost?” The robin chirps and Jughead actually screams this time.

“Oh my god!” Jellybean looks caught between being shocked and being delighted. “It talked!”

“The bird talked?” She asks.

Jughead shakes his head. “No, no, I must be really tired. A bird’s brain isn’t big enough to be capable of coherent speech.”

“Oi, that’s rude.” The robin says, and pecks him.

Jellybean is truly delighted now.

Jughead is sure he’s hallucinating. “How can you-?”

“My name’s Archie. You guys are lost, right?” The bird interrupts.

“Yeah, we’re on our way into town, so that we can find directions home.” Jellybean states. Archie swoops down and seats himself on her shoulder.

“Town?” He tuts. “They can’t help you. I think you guys are looking for the Enchantress of the Unknown. She can transport you home with the click of her fingers.”

Jellybean’s eyes sparkle. “Really?”

“Enchantress?” Jughead asks, suspiciously. Considering everything, he has no doubt the bird might be scamming them.

“Yeah. Her name’s Josie. In fact, I’m on my way to see her, right now. Want to come?” Archie asks, the way an adult asks a child if they want some fruit, knowing full well the child wouldn’t want it.

“Yeah!” Jughead tastes something sour in his mouth and swallows it down, taking Jellybean’s arm and dragging her away from the bird.

“Wait, Jellybean, what about what Cheryl said?” He hisses and Jellybean frowns.

“But Archie says Josie can help us!” She exclaims and he shushes her.

“He’s a bird.” Jughead reiterates.

“You know I can hear every word you’re saying, right?” Archie calls from a branch high above their heads.

“I actually don’t care.”Jughead calls back. “I’m trying to get me and my sister home before one of us gets hurt.”

“Juggy, I really think we can trust him.” Jellybean tells him, tone serious now.

“Based on what?” He questions. She wrinkles her nose the way she often does when he says something stupid.

“He’s a talking bird!” Jellybean says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.

“And that’s basis for trust?” He can feel Archie’s watchful eyes on him.

“Trust  _ me, _ Juggy.” Jellybean pleads.

“Jellybean…” He bites his lip, unsure, feeling the robin’s eyes on him, from a branch high above their heads.

“Trust me.” Jellybean curls her hands around his and he sighs, defeated.

“Okay. Fine, take us to Josie.” Jughead huffs, getting up and dusting off his slacks.

Archie chirps and swoops over their heads. Jellybean chases after him, giggling, leaving the Snickers trail behind. Jughead can’t help but be uneasy.

What if there is no way home?

**_It’s a tale of despair, of tragedy, of betrayal. Not the kind of tale you’ll want to hear right before bed, I’m afraid. Wake up!_ **

**Fin.**

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, I hope you like dit. if you did, please feel free to leave a comment and/or a kudos, and track me down on Tumblr @nose-coffee.
> 
> I'm sorry, I swear Breakfast Club AU will be up soon, it's nearly done, I swear, I swear, I swear.
> 
> Again, thank you!


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